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Carnival provides my family with the best bang for our dollar. In our first four cruises, we have not seen anything that we had to hide from our kids. In fact, they actually feel more mature on the ship based on the onboard dining room decorum and activities. Like Belize said, there is alot of Carnival hate out there that continues to perpetuate old and tired stories.

Amen Stripes!

And I did not mean to sound condescending... It's just soooooooooooooooirritating when someone has one bad experience and paints the whole cruiseline as something that they are not. I don't need to defend Carnival - the less people that cruise Carnival...the less crowded it is for me!

And I'm not stuck on one cruiseline either. I've been on several cruiselines - whatever ship has ports that I'm interested - we go! I love Carnival, not because they have "falling down drunks"...but because there is a little more action going on after 9 pm. Actually why I'm a bit nervous to sail on Princess...as I heard the whole ship goes to bed early! But...it will not stop me from trying it...and then basing my opinion on my own experience!

A popular line in our group is "A bad day at sea is still better than a good day at work!" (I personally don't understand how anyone could have a bad day at sea...but you get the gist!)

I am planning a cruise and am working with a local travel agent. Their prices do not seem to be any different from the ones listed directly on the website. She is very helpful in planning the vacation. Here's the low-down she gave me on each of the cruise lines:

Carnival ~ by far the cheapest, so you get less luxury treatment
Princess ~ very nice, but less to do at night for young people
Royal Caribbean ~ the best mix for young people looking for a nice vacation, entertainment at night but not a "party boat"...priced somewhere around the middle
Norwegian ~ you do not have the same server every night, less personal in that regard (she seemed to not like them because of this)

I would suggest a travel agent because you get more personal advice and the prices don't differ .... well at least make sure they don't through online research after visiting them!

Hello all. We just booked our own cruise with Norweigan thru cruisesonly.com. We got the best deal because it sailed within 2 weeks of the booking and they wanted to fill the rooms. Actually saved like 60%. So if your time is flexible it might be the best way to book.
Good luck.

I've used cruisecompete.com for the last two cruises. You pick the cruise you want, post it on the website and let various travel agencies reply with their best deal. This way you can compare prices at your leisure. The next cruise I'm taking will be the first week in September. I got a balcony cabin for the price of an outside cabin with a window.

I've used cruisecompete.com for the last two cruises. You pick the cruise you want, post it on the website and let various travel agencies reply with their best deal. This way you can compare prices at your leisure. The next cruise I'm taking will be the first week in September. I got a balcony cabin for the price of an outside cabin with a window.

RWH, glad to hear a positive story about Cruise Complete. I've actually received quotes from them before, but had too many questions that prevented me from "pulling the trigger" and buying from them. I might give them a go for next year's vacation.

I love Carnival, not because they have "falling down drunks"...but because there is a little more action going on after 9 pm.

That's so true, but don't go on a 2 week repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal like we did on Elation last May. 75% of the passengers were 70 years old & older. It was absolutely dead after 9pm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BelizePlease

Actually why I'm a bit nervous to sail on Princess...as I heard the whole ship goes to bed early! But...it will not stop me from trying it...and then basing my opinion on my own experience!

The only thing that stops me from cruising with Princess is the size of cabins for the $$$. They have great itineraries & the ships look like fun, but I'm not going to pay a lot of money for a cupboard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BelizePlease

A popular line in our group is "A bad day at sea is still better than a good day at work!" (I personally don't understand how anyone could have a bad day at sea...but you get the gist!)

Well there are times when the sea gets active & the stabilizers don't do much stabilizing. You notice it most right around dinner time when people turn green & head for the bathrooms.

I've been on three wonderful cruises, each time with one or two small children. Here are my thoughts:

1) Holland America - went with my then 28 month old daughter in early March 2005 and a friend of mine. Lot of older, very friendly passengers. Not very many kids at all (like less than 20.) LOVED this cruise. Great service, great food, great ship. Simply gorgeous private island - Half Moon Cay.

2) Princess - went with two kids, ages 2 and 4 along with my extended family for Christmas 2006. LOTS of kids due to it being xmas. LARGE ship (Crown Princess.) I preferred a smaller ship. Good service. GREAT food.

3) Disney Cruiseline -- January 2008. WAY too many kids (I didnt' think it woudl be an issue for me, but it was.) My kids were 3 and 5. One daughter loved the characters and the kid's club and all the Disney stuff. The other hated it and was afraid of most of the characters. The Disney Island (Castaway Cay), though, was INCREDIBLE!! Great service, lovely ship, ok food, nice pools.

If we were to cruise again, which I'm sure we will, but we may wait until we can do it as a couple w/o kids, we would do Holland America or try Royal Caribbean. We want to do an Alaskan cruise at some point.

Have fun!!!

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